nba

It was slated to start at 7 p.m. on Wednesday but the NBA Kings vs Sixers game postponed due to wet floor. Initial report indicates that the condensation on the floor at the Wells Fargo Center was the cause of the wet court. The Wells Fargo Center staff tried to mop dry the floor but to no avail. Then they also tried wet mopping the surface and used industrial heat-based dyers to dry the floor but still unsuccessful, so at 8:03 p.m., the game was officially called off and there was no immediate announcement of the makeup date.

On Tuesday night, an NHL game was held at the arena hosted by the Philadelphia Flyers and as a standard procedure at the Wells Fargo Center, the ice surface in the basketball court was left untouched. Come Wednesday, the weather during late November in Philadelphia was bizarrely warm and humid. The surface was critically affected and caused mysterious moisture on the court.

All players waited for more than an hour and even joked with the staff members. The mood was light while everyone stood around waiting. Star player DeMarcus Cousins from Sacramento Kings even tried to mop the floor himself.

More than anything, the safety of the players is the main concern. The moisture can easily cause slippage during the game and may lead to injury. Fans who came to watch the game need not worry because according to Sixers, their tickets will still be valid when the game push through.

The NBA Eastern Conference teams are going at it. The remaining games are crucial for some teams as far as playoffs positioning is concerned. The teams from the 5th seed, down to the 10th spot won a game tonight.

The battle for the 8th and final spot is very close between the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards who are all having winning streaks as of the moment. The 8th seeder Pistons defeated the Bucks 92-91. Looking in from the ninth spot, the Chicago Bulls, defeated the Sacramento Kings , 109-102. The Washington Wizards beat the Atlanta Hawks, 117-102.

The 2015-2016 NBA season is almost near the half-way mark, All-Star voting will soon be a trend. But for this post, I will be mentioning some players that I think should be considered for the Most Improved Player award:

Will Barton – Since his transfer to Denver Nuggets, he has been pretty much on fire. He’s been lighting up the scoring sheet by posting 20+ point games. He even put up a couple of 30+ point performances. But sadly, he’s had a couple of low scoring games but I think he is just in a slump. He could also be a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.

CJ McCollum – This kid has been on fire since Day 1 of the 2015-2016 season. He currently averages 21.0 points per game and 4.4 assists per game. A major improvement from a 6.8ppg/1.0apg 2014-2015 season. His minutes have also more than doubled this season compared last season. Alongside Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard, they can be one hell of a deadly backcourt duo.

Andre Drummond – This guy is a beast. That is all I can say. He’s the leagues top rebounder with 15.7 rebounds per game. He is also putting up 17.9 points per game. He is on his way (or probably he is now) to becoming the franchise player of the Detroit Pistons.

Honorable mentions: Allen Crabbe of the Portland Trailblazers, Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards and Reggie Jackson of the Detroit Pistons.

Carmelo Anthony knows this is the right time. He is feeling very positive about the 2015-2016 NBA season. I wouldn’t blame him for feeling that way because the New York Knicks pretty much had a quite decent upgrade in their roster. This year, they acquired the 7’3, 20-year-old rookie, Kristaps Porzingis as their number 4th draft pick. The kid is very promising, and many are looking forward to him becoming the next Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol. The Knicks also acquired center Robin Lopez, who averaged 9.6 ppg and 6.7 rpg last year with the Portland Trailblazers who will most definitely fit in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. The Knicks also bagged former No. 2 pick, Derrick Williams, who is yet to have a breakout year, but showed an improved game during the pre-season games. Another rookie will definitely put a spark to the team in the name Jerian Grant, who is the 19th over-all pick in this year’s draft.

It will be a very tough road ahead, but having a deadly scorer in Anthony makes things a bit lighter for the team plus the new set of players who are hungry to bring their game to the next level. But of course, basketball is a team sport, so the players will have to gel and get a good feel of the plays designed for them.